The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-02-17

uOW olmOou oup Va o'S3hos
My old freedman, Cyrus, died at his
home in Butler County, Ala, November
2. His wife, "Aunt Bess," as we called
her, died two days after, and they we're
buried side by side at Mulberry Baptist
Church, of which they had long been
principal members. AS nearly as I can
make out from the family records he was
over ninety and she was eighty years old.
This venerable pair of ex-slaves were
"dear unto me-" (Luke viii and, as rep
resenting clsss Of persons and of feel
ings rapidly passing away, q brief sketch
may not be without interest to others.
"Uncle Remus," 80 charmiDgly
sketched by Chandler Harris, Of Georgia,
had his counterpart in many Southern
household. My Uncle Remus is dead.
He WAS tho home.born slave of my
grandfather, in Barnwell, and in his early
manhood rated lumber down Edisto
River to Charleston. A pure African
by blood, he had the strongly.marked
prognathous features of his race; was
six feet high, with flesh and muscle in
proportion. On the marriage Of my
father, in 1920, Cy was given to him, and
helped him to build the log house 10
which he took his bride, and to clear his
first field. Uncle Cy, as the children
always called him, taught me to ride 8
horse, and, later on, to shoot gun. He
shock hickory nuts out of the tall trees,
and rived trap sticks for me to catch
birds; made cute bows and arrows, and
in the spring-time could peel off bark
from saplings and plat me the most
glorious popping whips in the world.
He was the best WAGNER of his time !;
could get more out of a team with less
worry, and take heavy load over the
worst roads with less accident than any.
body else. At log rollings and house,
raisings be was head man, and likewise
at grading oats and wheat. He was
fabulous, in my eyes, for strength and
skill. For ploughing, hoeing and cotton
picking he was no great things-rather
disdained them as fit only for women and
common niggers. He vas great axman,
and could hew to the line. In 1S30-31
he worked on section of the Hamburg
and Charleston Railroad that ran near
our home-tbat primitive period before
crossties and T rails came in, when sills
we're stretched along the road.bed and
fat bars OF iron nailed down on them.
He chewed tobacco; and many of my
choicest favors and propitiations were
procured by quid LITERALLY quid pro
quo.) suppose he vas the father of
thirty or forty children, begotten in his
own image, and that all his posterity-
children, grandchildren and great grand
children-would at this time amount to
several hundred.
Uncle Cy became fair plantation
carpenter and blacksmith; could make a
plough and stock it, hang doors and
gates, and make wagon that would run.
On my fathers death Cy became the
property Of my mother by his will, for he
thoughtfully said she could not keep up
the plantation without him. At the
division of her estate he and his wife fell
to me. By degrees he graded me up as
years went on. 1t wss first Holland
then Mas Holland; then Master, which
title he used to the last, as. though he
liked it. Here / may record a criticism
on that romance of marvellous genius
"Uncle Toms Cabin" Such negro as
"Uncle" Tom was never sold out of any
family. Money could not buy that sort
It was great treat to be permitted tc
ego to town" with Uncle Cy on the cot
ton wagon. There was one to whom be
bore a tender loyalty, and for whom ht
had three names, Missus, Your Muddel
and Miss Betsy. To her he felt amenablt
for the lads safety, and he well.knev
how to afford him the utmost fun withir
safety limits. When the bright camp
fire was kindled, and the team battered
and fed for the night, Uncle Cy woult
bring out that fryipg.pan-his onl.
culinary apparatus-and work up
savory meal. For butchering beef o
mutton there was none like him, aud a
hog-killing time he enriched me will
pig tails and bladders. In ghosts aut
witches he was a firm believer, and coult
beat Vennor prognosticating the weather
1 would put him against Carlisle o
Barnard for telling the hour of the nigh
if the Seven Stars, Jobs Coffin, th
Three Runners, and other heavenl
bodies were shining.
For overseers he had a deep dislike
While obeying his own master in th
letter and spirit of the Epistle to tn
Ephesians, he was insubordinate to del
egated authority; and here came in hi
most serious troubles. A sad case / re
member to have occurred in Alabam
about 1870. In difficulty with th
overseer Uncle Cy rebelled and ran away
taking with him two other negro mel
They were gone over year, and n
tidings of them could be got. At la'
they turned up in South Carolina.
seems they had made their way back
the old Barnwell neighborhood, 10 di'
tance of over three hundred miles, cross
ing the Chattahocchee, Flint, Ocone
Ocumulgce, and Savannah Rivers an
becoming weary of hiding out, the
aaEEEEgelllu usarily surrendered themselves.
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